Dismal Angel Episode 6: Love, Truth and Honesty
by AngelExposed
Summary: Rogue and Remy find themselves falling for each other - but shocking secrets Remy kept from Rogue are about to change things forever (sequel to Sweet Sixteen - R&R - story finished)
1. Chapter 1: Study Time

Chapter 1: Study-Time

            She was sitting at the rectangular fine mahogany table in the library of the mansion, a sea of books and crumpled up pieces of paper surrounding her.  Her hair was pulled back in a simple – and rather untidy – ponytail, and her makeup was thick, and dark, emphasising the colour of her eyes – a dark olive green – and the complexion of her naturally ashen skin.

            He stood watching for some time, she seemed to be writing an essay of some kind, but she seemed less interested in doing this, and every so often, her eyes would sway towards the window, and she'd remain deep in thought.  

            Rogue was unaware Remy LeBeau had been watching her for several moments now, she was barely even aware of what her essay was about yet, which was why she'd made so many mistakes and crumpled up her work and tossed it with all the other pieces of paper on the table.

            If she had known Remy LeBeau stood at the door – which was hanging only slightly ajar – watching her through the crack, she might have felt flattered, but of course, she would have never let him know that.  Despite it having been over two months since Rogue had begun to stop harassing the man every chance she got, she still did not want him ever knowing she thought of him as more than even tolerable.

            "Kitty?" Rogue asked, Kitty Pryde was sitting next to her reading from a rather large history book.

            "Uh huh?" Kitty asked, she never even took her blue eyes off of the page she was reading for a second.

            "What time is it?"

            "One thirty," Kitty said, she did not raise her eyes from the book, Rogue was confused how she could have known.  But Rogue grabbed a hold of Kitty's arm and glanced at the silver watch on her wrist, it was indeed, one thirty.

            Rogue sighed.  She hated being schooled at home, especially when it meant having Professor Xavier, Ororo and Hank as teachers.  Professor Xavier and Ororo were especially strict when it came to teaching, and it usually meant no talking, no eating or drinking during class times, and no convenient breaks.  Everything seemed to run at the same pace it did at Bayville high, except now the classes were even harder to cope with.  

            The only good thing about being home schooled at the Mansion was the two hour study period they got from 1pm until 3pm in the Library, and it was always unsupervised, which meant they spent less time studying and more time talking, or throwing paper aeroplanes around the room at each other.

            Rogue looked around the room.  Kurt was sitting in a chair by the fireplace reading, and so was Evan, Scott and Jean were no where to be found.  "Where's the lovebirds?" she asked Kitty casually.

            "They went elsewhere to study," Kitty responded, she was chewing on a pencil, her eyes still locked on her large book.  

            "Study?  Yeah, right," Rogue muttered.  "I bet they're making out as we speak," she added miserably.

            "Why do you care?" Kitty asked, still not raising her eyes from the book.

            "I don't," Rogue stated very morosely.

            "You really are pining after Scott!" Kitty gasped in an excited voice, she looked right at Rogue then, and let out a laugh of surprise.

            "I am not!" Rogue hissed, "and keep your voice down!" she whispered, she pointed her eyes to Kurt and Evan, who were out of earshot, but so easily could have heard Kitty's loud high pitched squeals.

            "I thought you'd tell me if you were into him," Kitty sulked.

            "I'm not," Rogue stated, she tossed an eraser at Kitty playfully.  "He's way too clean cut," she added, lying badly.  She knew full well that despite any lies she could tell, that Kitty Pryde could just look at her and know from the look on her face whether she was lying or not.

            Kitty smirked, "Sure…"

            Rogue was about to put up a little more defence from her side, when the tall and handsome Remy LeBeau – who had been watching Rogue for some time from the door hanging slightly ajar, sauntered in.  He wore a white tanktop, and it set a perfect contrast against his perfect tan, and complimented his well built arms.  His faded jeans were torn at the knee.  His hair had grown a little longer, and still remained dishevelled, but with his rugged good looks, it was something he could get away with.

            He walked over to opposite to where Rogue was sitting, and he shoved some of her books to the side and sat halfway on the table, turned towards her, he looked right at her with a grin.

            "Can…I help you?" Rogue looked at him confusedly.  She heard Kitty giggle under her breath.

            "How are things, ma Cherie," Remy asked, he looked at her in a smouldering way.

            "Boring, I'm meant to be studying," Rogue pointed out, she tossed a pencil at him.  "Aren't you meant to be sweeping leaves from the driveway or something?" she asked in a dry tone.

            "Oui," Remy responded.  Since Remy LeBeau refused to take any further schooling in the mansion – being nineteen and all – he was set with chores to do every day.  He usually did them – without much complaint.  But frequently he'd be found taking breaks when he shouldn't – and always found the right excuse when one of the adults caught him.

            "Then go do them," Rogue waved him off.

            "I'm on a break," he stated, "And I thought I'd come see you…" he pulled himself right onto the table and lay across it, his feet ended up on Kitty's books, Kitty gave a snort of contempt of this, and yanked her books from under his feet.

            Rogue looked at him, he was laying across the table in a very becoming pose.  He reminded her of some nude male model on a painting or a statue.  Rogue frowned, "You'll get me and Kitty into trouble."

            "I was thinking," Remy stated, ignoring her words, "maybe me and you go to a movie tonight, non?" 

            "No…" Rogue looked at him, she felt her cheeks flustering, not sure if he was asking her out on a date, or anything else, either way she could feel everyone else looking at her, her cheeks grew more crimson than before.

            "Awwww, c'mon," he looked at her with intense eyes of black – with ruby-coloured irises.  Rogue felt a chill creep up her spine as she looked back at those eyes.

            "I can't," Rogue said sternly, "me and Kitty have plans tonight…" she lied, it being the first excuse she could think of.

            Kitty spoke up, "We do?" she asked, this being news to her.

            Rogue kicked her under the table and glanced at her warningly.

            "Oh, yeah," Kitty winced, "Yeah, we made those plans yesterday," she lied.

            Remy looked at Kitty and laughed, "Is that so?"

"Yes, uhm…we…" Kitty looked at Rogue for another excuse, but Rogue didn't seem to have an answer to what those plans could have been.

Remy raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to finish the sentence.

"We're gonna go out for Pizza…" Kitty finally decided.

Remy lowered his eyebrow, and smiled in a most charming way,  "Well, I don't think you'll mind me stealing your friend for a night.  You can always hang out another time," he turned back to Rogue and smiled in a very victorious way – as if he'd just passed a challenge.

            "Yeah, Rogue, he's right you know," Kitty admitted, as if she'd fallen under the spell of the charming Cajun.

            "Meet you at seven on the porch," Remy grinned, and then pulled himself up and left.

            Kitty laughed, "wow…"

            Rogue's cheeks were scarlet, "He's so embarrassing."

            "He just asked you on a date, Rogue…" Kitty stated, the pitch of her voice hitting higher notes with obvious excitement for Rogue.  

            "He did not," Rogue stated, "Just 'cause a guy wants you to go see a movie with him does not make it a date," she remarked calmly, she picked up a pencil and tried to add another sentence to the essay, clearly wanting to drop the conversation altogether.  

            "I don't get it," Kitty suddenly stated, "before I left for the end of summer you were at his throat near enough, now you actually have a crush on him."

            "I do NOT have a crush on him," Rogue stammered.  "I'll admit…he is kind of…good looking…but he's just not my type…"

            "Sure," Kitty laughed, "It's like, so obvious that you like him," she put her hand over her mouth to stifle another laugh, she saw Evan glance over at both of them questioningly.  

            Rogue hissed, "Sssh!" she kicked Kitty again.

            "Ow!" Kitty winced, "You're vicious!  Are you forgetting your strength?"

            "Sorry," Rogue bit her lip, "I'm still not used to it, yet…"

            Kitty looked at Rogue, her big blue eyes curious, "Rogue…what happened when I was away?"

            "What do you mean?" Rogue doodled a little picture on a nearby blank sheet of paper. 

            "I mean how can you be fighting with someone, and suddenly okay with them the next?" Kitty asked inquisitively, she leaned a little closer, keeping her voice down so the boys wouldn't hear.  Kitty had to admit, the whole thing had puzzled her for the last few months, but she'd never really found an appropriate time to query Rogue about it.  With all the new plans the Mansion had gone through, and with all the sorting out of school subjects and schedules and new classes, everything at home had been crazy and with so much going on, there hadn't seemed like the right time to ask Rogue why suddenly she could tolerate Remy.

            "Its had to explain," Rogue stated, she didn't want to say too much – she wasn't sure how Remy would take it if Kitty also knew his secrets – that he'd been betrothed, and chased by his future wife's brother, and stabbed.  Having come to the X-Men for help and protection.  It'd seem downright embarrassing.

            "Did he tell you his secret?" Kitty asked, she'd well believe the only thing that would convince Rogue to let up with the hostility towards Remy would be for him to tell her the secrets she'd badgered him for since he'd joined the X-Men.  Remy had never given any indication he'd told Rogue anything.  Which left Kitty quite suspicious.

            "Lets just say…everything is fine now," Rogue smiled a little.


	2. Chapter 2: Marie

**Chapter 2: Marie**

            Rogue had promised herself that she would NOT go out with Remy that evening, yet oddly enough found herself yanking on an attractive black apparel, and pulling her hair up in an appealing way.  She told herself that she was simply entertaining herself for dressing up.  And when she'd finally pulled on her black cotton gloves, she found herself pondering if perhaps Remy might be waiting for her on the porch at seven, just like he'd suggested – or if it were all a joke.

            But despite her concerns, she went downstairs, and outside to the porch – where indeed, Remy was standing against a pillar, smoking a cigarette, clad in a black T-shirt and black leather pants, his hair stirring in the slight breeze.  He had his black leather trenchcoat slung over one shoulder casually.

Rogue came up behind him, "waiting for someone?" she asked in a very light tone, perhaps a little timid.

            Remy didn't even look over his shoulder to see her, "I knew you'd show," he gave a laugh, "Despite you seemed reluctant," he added, he turned to her finally, "Oooh," he drew in a breath, "you even made yourself beautiful," he smirked a little, "I feel honoured."

            "I didn't dress up for you, I thought maybe I might find some NICE looking guys at the movie theatre," Rogue folded her arms.

            "As good looking as moi?  Never," He tossed his cigarette to the floor and stepped on it to put it out, he slung his arm around her shoulders, "what movie do you feel like seeing?" he asked.

            Rogue chewed her lip, and turned to her left where his hand was resting on her shoulder, she looked at him, "Remy…" she murmured, "I'm already going to see a movie with you – please don't make this any more torturous than it is already," she shrugged out of his reach, and walked ahead.  

            "Sorry," he mumbled, sounding a little upset she wouldn't allow him to even come near her. 

            "Did you grab the van keys?" Rogue asked of him, she walked on ahead a little towards the Mansion's garage.

            "We're taking the bike," Remy referred to his beautiful Harley Davidson that was in the garage, which Rogue assumed – as Remy was a professional Thief and all – had been stolen. 

            "No…we're taking the van," Rogue turned and looked at him, she gave him an expression of caution.

            "When you're the one who has a license, we're taking the van, until then, we're taking the bike," he looked at her.  

            Rogue sighed.

            "Oh come on, you and I both know that you love the bike, I saw you eyeing it up the other day when Logan had you and Kitty in the garage teaching you mechanics," Remy walked ahead towards the garage, he pulled on the leather trenchcoat.

            "I didn't see you there," Rogue gaped.

            "I know you didn't," Remy stated, "one of the great things about being a Thief…" he looked at her, "you're always able to hide anywhere out of sight," He looked at her.

            Rogue looked at him, "how can you do stuff like that anyway?" she asked.

            Remy smirked pulled the Garage door open, "do you REALLY want to know?" he asked.

            "Yes," Rogue stated, she was curious just how someone like him could hide himself anywhere.

            Remy headed towards the Harley, he pulled the helmet off of the seat, "you find the right spots, and you move reaaaaaaaal slow," he tossed the helmet towards her, "just like makin' love," he winked, and climbed onto the bike.

            Rogue felt her cheeks flush a furious red, she tossed the helmet at him, and he ducked just as it flew by his head and slammed into the wall, and fell with a loud echoing clatter.

            "What'd I do?!" he demanded.

            "You pissed me off," Rogue spun on her heel and headed towards the door of the garage to leave him.

            Remy climbed off of the bike, and picked up speed, catching her by the wrist, he stopped her, "Chere…" he turned her towards him, "Can you not take a joke?"

            "I can take a joke…" Rogue stated, "but when its you making the jokes, then I don't really care for them," her eyes met his, she hoped he'd take the hint of how angry she was with him.  She don't know why the joke struck her in such a way and brought her bad side forward.

            Remy nodded, "Alright, I get it," he stated, "please…" he looked at her desperately, "give me another chance?"

            "No," Rogue pried his fingers from her wrist and threw his own hand back at him roughly.

            "Why?"

            "Like I said, you pissed me off…" she began to walk again.

            "What do I have to do to make you go out with me?" he called after her, he followed again.

            "Beg," she muttered, she didn't think he'd be up to something as degrading.

            "Fine! I'll beg, I'm begging!" he ran out in front of her and dropped to his knees – right there on the driveway -  and he put his hands together, "please, please, please…" he begged of her, giving a dose of pathetic – if not slightly creepy – puppy dog eyes.

            Rogue pursed her lips together, finding it quite comical, she put her hand over her mouth, "do you know how pathetic you look?" she tried to keep a straight face, she tried to pretend his begging did not thrill her one bit – but it did, the fact that he got on his knees begging her to go out with him made her feel important.

            "I don't care how pathetic I look," he moved over on his knees, and looked up at her pleadingly, "I'm a wretch, you are my queen, please grant this wretch your royal presence for a movie…"

            Rogue suddenly worried someone might be watching this, and see the smile on her face at her enjoyment from this scene, she laughed and grabbed a hold of his arm, "get up!" she shook her head.  "Just when I didn't think you could stoop any lower, LeBeau…" she shook her head.   

            "Then you'll come with me?" he asked.

            "Yes," Rogue rolled her eyes, but leaned forward so her white steaks fell over her face slightly to hide her smile.

            "Great," he headed back into the garage, she followed, keeping her head low, and pulled the helmet on quickly to avoid her smile being seen, she climbed onto the bike behind him, holding onto the back of the seat.

            "I'd advise you to hold on…" Remy looked over his shoulder at her.

            "You're not wearing a helmet, and you're telling ME to hold on?  I'd be more worried about myself getting thrown off a bike and my head smashing into a tree than about someone holding on at the back of me for their safety," Rogue frowned a little.

            "I'm not worried about that," He stated, "it's just comfier," he smirked a little.

            "Remy…"

            "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he assured, "c'mon, I'd feel better if you did…you could easily lose your balance…" he pointed out.

            Rogue sighed, of course, he was right.  She wrapped her arms around his waist gingerly, and held on.  The bike roared to life, and soon, they were speeding off towards the city.  Rogue watched the world pass by her as she held onto him, she could feel his stomach contract and expand with every breath he took, and even through her gloves, she could feel the washboard abdomen under her fingers – and what she found hard to believe was that she didn't mind it.  

            Soon, Remy was parking the bike in the mall parking lot, and he waited for Rogue to climb off first before he dismounted.  Rogue pulled the helmet off, it had mussed her hair slightly, but she didn't mind.  Remy lit up a cigarette, and took a long drag.

            "Must you?" Rogue looked at him.

            "Can't smoke in the mall," he reminded, he began a slow stride across the parking lot towards the mall, Rogue realised he'd parked as far away as possible from the mall so that he could smoke whilst walking to the entrance.  Rogue walked by his side.

            "Why don't you quit?" she asked of him curiously, "I mean…you know it WILL eventually kill you, don't you?"

            "I figure being a mutant is going to kill me so I'll enjoy my cigarettes while I live," Remy admitted, he put a pair of sunglasses on to disguise his eyes from anyone who was non-mutant, and most likely to cause a riot seeing a mutant in the area.  

            "That's if I don't kill you first," Rogue joked.

            Remy gave a soft laugh, "I doubt you could," he turned and looked at her, and smiled captivatingly, "You're warming up to me," he added.

            "I'm not warming up to you, I tolerate you…because it avoids a bad atmosphere at the mansion," she lied. 

            Remy pursed his lips together, trying not to laugh again, "you lie very badly, Chere."

            "Please don't call me, Chere," Rogue pleaded, "it's so cheesy.  I'm NOT some plastic-surgery monstrosity with a deep voice and a tattooed ass," she stated.

            "What would you rather I call you?  My cherie amore?" he smirked, he tossed the half-smoked cigarette to the ground and stood on it.

            "Nice, a Stevie Wonder joke now," Rogue folded her arms.  "Are you ever serious?"

            "Serious isn't in my nature.  Been through too much serious.  If you can't laugh about life, you cry about it, but laughter is the stuff that gets you through the day, so why not."

            Rogue pondered, a pretty deep comment to be coming from such a guy, "and to answer your question, no, you may not call me that."

            "Hmmm…ma petit Gothique?"

            "You're really pulling the crap out now, aren't you?" she stated, then muttered something under her breath.

            "Excuse me, I don't think I heard that…" he looked at her.

            "I said you're a grand l'idiot stupide."

            "You need to work on your French, chere," Remy was smiling.

            "Don't call me that!" Rogue fumed.

            "Then what?  Tell me what I should call you…" he opened the doors leading into the mall, but let her step in first.

            "Rogue," she answered simply, with a roll of her eyes, she stepped in, and kept her back turned to him as he followed.

            "When do I get to find out your real name?"

            "Never," Rogue smirked, she was adamant no one would ever know her real name.

            "Do I get to guess?" Remy followed her, she led the way to the cinema which was located on the third floor of the mall.

            "No," Rogue stated, "you'd never guess anyway…"

            "Hmmm…" Remy walked with her, "don't I even get a clue?"

            "Nope."

            "Amy?" he looked at her, "Elizabeth?  Katie?  Carolanne?  Mary?"

            Rogue winced at the latter name, it wasn't hers, but it was extremely close.  She suddenly realised that Remy had seen the expression of her face, and he'd picked up on it.

            "Mary?" He looked at her, but she shook her head furiously.

            "Don't…"

            "Hmmm…it's close…Mary…Marianne…Maria…Marie…" he reeled names off that he could think of, they were now standing on the escalators on the way up to the next floor.

            Rogue's eyes widened, she hadn't wanted to react at all to this, but it was something that she couldn't avoid, it simply happened.

            "Marie…Marie…your name is Marie…" he seemed amused.

            "What's so funny!?" Rogue demanded, "It's a perfectly okay name."

            He was laughing now, "do you know what your name means?"

            "No…"

            Remy looked away, seeming to be on the verge of laughter, "if I tell you will you promise not to get mad?"

            "It's not some sexual meaning is it?" Rogue looked worried.

            "No…its…uhm…" he chewed his lip, trying not to laugh, "bitter."

            "Bitter?  My name means bitter?"

            "Yeah, kinda suits you doesn't it…" he seemed rather pleased with himself.

            Rogue pouted.

            "Awww, c'mon, don't pout…" he nudged her back playfully. 

            "Remy…if you ever tell anyone…I seriously will kill you," Rogue looked at him, a solemn and severe expression on her face.

            "I promise I won't…its kinda nice knowing something no one else does," he smiled, "makes me feel a little closer to you…"

            "Whatever," Rogue shook her head in dismay.


	3. Chapter 3: Crash & Splash

**Chapter 3: Crash & Splash**

            After the movie – which had been a rather interesting comedy-horror Rogue had already forgotten the name of, they left the mall, it had grown a little cold out.

            "Wow, temperature dropped," Remy noted, he looked up to the sky, it was dark out now, and the air felt damp, as if it would rain – or was going to get foggy.  

            "Yeah…" Rogue hugged herself against the cold, because the weather had been warm lately she'd neglected bringing a jacket.  Instead, she wore a pair of black pants, a black mesh top and a tiny tanktop underneath.  She felt the chill against her skin, and shivered.

            "Cold?"  
            "Kinda…" Rogue shrugged.

            "Want my coat?" He queried motioning to the black leather trenchcoat he was wearing.

            "Remy, your arms are bare under that thing, you'll be freezing, especially when you're on the bike…" Rogue admitted.

            "You worried about me?" He looked at her hopefully.

            "No, but I'd have a hard time explaining why its my fault you have a cold or something," Rogue walked slowly, him near her, she felt him at her back and his hands on her, and she jumped a little, but then realised he was putting his trenchcoat over her shoulders.   "I told you I don't need it…" she looked at him.

            "Just wear it and forget your pride for once," he remarked, lighting up a cigarette.

            Rogue could feel the coat dragging along the ground, Remy being taller than she was, "how did you like the movie?" she asked casually, trying to make conversation.

            "I thought it was alright, I've seen better…definitely seen worse," he stated, he took a drag of the cigarette.

            Rogue walked by his side, "I didn't understand most of the humour in it," she admitted.

            "Yeah, it was sort of weird," he shrugged, he kept walking slowly, smoking as he went.

            "British Horror generally is," she stated, "its so different from American horror," she admitted thoughtfully.  The horror had been some strange story about a British army troop in the highlands of Scotland being attacked and mutilated by werewolves.

            "I agree," he remarked.

            "What time is it?" Rogue asked.

            Remy reached into the pocket of his leather pants, and yanked out his cellular phone, it had the time on it, "ten," he answered  "Seems early," he added, slipping the phone back into his pocket

            "Yeah, but by the time we get back to the Mansion it'll be almost eleven, I'm not meant to be out past them..."

            "Rogue, you're sixteen, you can stay out past eleven you know," they walked in silence for a few more minutes, things seemed awkward between them.

            "Remy…" Rogue said after a time.

            "Chere?" Remy asked.

            Rogue stopped walking, and turned towards him, he stopped too, and they were standing opposite each other, face to face.

"Do any of the others ask you why all of a sudden we're getting along?" she asked curiously.

"No…why?" he asked, took another puff of the cigarette, and exhaled the smoke through his nose.

"Kitty asks me about it a lot," Rogue shrugged casually, and began walking again.

"Did you tell her what I told you?" Remy seemed a little worried, he followed quickly.

"Of course I didn't…jeez, now who doesn't trust who?" She turned and smirked at him, she slipped her arms into the sleeves of his coat, enjoying how big it felt around her, how warm it felt, and how it smelt of his cologne.

Remy stopped as she did again, he reached out and fixed the collar of the coat so that it stood up a little to shield her neck from the cold, "I trust you."

"You hardly know me."

"I'm getting there," he said, "I know your name now," he grinned, "I know what your favourite soda is and your favourite ice cream," he pointed out – as he'd paid for those for her tonight.  "And I know you like Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, and Creed," he stated.

"Those are trivial," Rogue shrugged, "most people know those things about me, except the name."

"Which makes it so that I do know you better than they do," he smirked, he put his arm around her shoulders and led her towards the bike, she didn't shrug his arm away, it did feel slightly unnerving, but she tolerated it – she wanted to tolerate it.  She only wished it might have been Scott with his arm around her instead of Remy.

"Sometimes this doesn't feel right," Rogue admitted.

"What do you mean?" Remy flicked his cigarette away, it landed on the concrete ground, throwing an array of glowing ash across it, and it tumbled off in the wind out of sight.

"You and me – we're enemies, remember?" Rogue turned to him.

"Were," Remy shrugged, "you know I'm on your side."

"Do I?" Rogue asked, "sometimes, it doesn't add up to me, y'know…" she admitted, "sometimes I feel that there's got to be more to your story than you're telling me…"

Remy looked at her, "What about your story?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Rogue hugged herself insecurely, his arm drew her closer, she could see some people passing by glance at the two of them momentarily, and it felt nice, with Remy's arm around her made it look like she was special – and important enough – to have a boyfriend.  But she didn't.  Not really.

"I told you my story…you never told me yours," he pointed out, he shoved his free hand in the pocket of his pants, continuing to walk steadily, he could see the Harley up ahead.

"I can't tell you my story…because…some of it, I don't honestly know," Rogue shrugged.  "Professor Xavier calls it repressed memories," she shrugged, "he can't even unlock it."

"How did you end up in Bayville…how did you end up with the X-Men?  I know you were one of the Brotherhood once."

"I was…" Rogue shrugged, "this thing happened back home in Mississippi, I ended up knocking a guy unconscious when he accidentally touched me," she stated, "before that, I had no idea that I was a mutant," she explained, "there's a lot more to the story, but all I really wanna say is that with the X-Men, I feel safe," she shrugged, "took a while to get used to them, but…it feels like home with them…" she shrugged, "At first…I used to feel like…I was a misfit…but now…"

"Now you see everyone is a misfit, and it makes us all alike?" Remy asked, as if he were perhaps reading her mind.

Rogue turned to him, surprised, "yeah…exactly."

"Don't look so surprised, I sometimes feel the same way," he shrugged, he squeezed her shoulder, and then let go of her as they reached the bike, "Here," he said softly, handing her the helmet.

There was a loud quiver, thunder boomed in the sky, and seconds later, a downpour of rain came, loud against the cement of the parking lot.

Rogue pulled the helmet on, and climbed onto the bike behind Remy, holding onto him, "Sure you don't want your coat back now that it's raining?" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure," he started the bike up, and pulled out of the parking lot, and they sped off towards the country where the Mansion was located.  

Rogue could feel Remy's stomach tighten as if he were nervous, generally he had excellent control over the Harley, but now, he seemed to be having trouble, "Everything alright?" she asked of him.

"Roads wet…" he pointed out, "bike isn't doing so good on this road.

Indeed it was not, Rogue could feel that Remy was having a hard time controlling the bike, suddenly she realised why, she looked to the sky and realised that there were hailstones coming down hard, tiny little balls of ice pelting at them hard.  "Remy…maybe we should stop…"

"We need to get out of this weather, chere," Remy stated, "don't know when it will stop, and there's no nearby shelter now," he pointed out, they were on a very long country road which at the right side was a precipice overlooking a nearby lake.  Rogue could see the lake rippling in the wind and hail, and the moonlight cast an eerie light over it.

Rogue held on tighter, "We can fly?" she asked.

"It'll be worse up there than it is down here, Chere," Remy pointed out, he was probably right, with the speed the hailstones were coming down at,  being up any higher would probably make then an easy target for the brunt of the frozen rain.

Rogue looked on ahead over Remy's shoulder, she could see in the headlight that the roads were already becoming sludgy from the hail, a layer of sleet on the roads.  She began to feel unsafe, "Dammit, I knew we shoulda taken the van!" she yelled at him.

"Lets not argue about this now, please don't distract me," he called back to her.

"Remy, we might crash, you're not even wearing a helmet!" Rogue shrieked, "pull over…"

Remy uttered a few swearwords under his breath, suddenly realising something.

"What is it?" Rogue called over his shoulder at him.

"Brakes aren't working…"

"Oh my god, you're kidding!" Rogue yelled at him frantically. 

"No, the fucking brakes aren't working," he tried the brakes again, nothing happened.

Rogue was trying to figure out a safe way of getting them off of the road, the simplest seemed like flying, but she wasn't sure if she'd be able to hold the bike and Remy at the same time, she had nothing to grip onto at her back to hold onto the bike to pull it up.  Before she had a chance to think any further, she suddenly realised the bike was skidding towards a sharp corner, the edge of the corner fenced off with flimsy wood.

"REMY!" she screamed, she gaped, the corner becoming closer, closer, she could see Remy desperately try to swing the bike to the side.  She heard the loud crash the bike made against the wood, and she lost her grip on Remy altogether, shock pulsing through her veins, the bike soared into the air, towards the lake, and then it was falling, falling quickly towards the lake, and Rogue leapt off the bike before she was pulled down with it, and she caught herself in mid air, the back of the leather coat flowing behind her like a long black cape, feeling the wind and hail whipping around furiously around her.

She witnessed it the Harley Davidson plunge under the water with a massive splash, pulling Remy LeBeau down with it.


	4. Chapter 4: Confusion

Chapter 4: Confusion

            When Remy LeBeau opened his eyes, a bright light seemed to blind him, and he closed his eyes, flinching at a strange feeling in his throat, as if he'd swallowed something nasty.

            "Ah, you're awake then," he could hear Hank McCoy's voice, the general echo of the room suggested that he was in the hospital wing of the Mansion, and now he could feel the cold cloth sheets underneath his bare back, and arms.

            "Can you turn that damn overhead light off?" Remy requested in a hoarse voice, he put his hand over his eyes, his hand itself felt rather weak.  He took in a breath, he felt breathless, as if he'd been choking, and his chest was aching with a pain that felt as if something heavy had been pressing on him for some amount of time.

            He felt Hank take his wrist, he could barely even pull away, "your pulse is quite strong, you're a lucky young man," he stated, Remy heard the switch click and beneath his eyelids he could tell the light had been turned off.  He opened his eyes, everything seemingly blurry for a moment.

            Remy coughed, and immediately felt the urge to vomit, and it came – luckily with Hank's reflexes a basin was already available under him to do so.  It seemed like water, not a whole lot of it, but enough to give Remy extreme discomfort the moment it hit his throat.  Remy tried to speak a moment afterwards, but Hank grasped his shoulder and squeezed.  "Don't try to talk…"

            Remy rested his head back down on the unreasonably flat pillows of the bed, and closed his eyes, he tried to remember what had happened, but dazed, and confused, could not find the answers he was looking for.  "What's goin' on?" he croaked.

            "What's going on is you've been unconscious for several hours now," Hank glanced at his watch, "I'd say approximately two hours."

            Remy tried to sit up, "what?" he gasped.

            "You obviously have a little amnesia, and that's normal," Hank made him lie back down, "you must rest, the answers will come later."

            "I want to know now, Mon ami," Remy sat up again, taking in deep breaths.

            "Very well," Hank sighed, "you and Rogue were caught in an unexpected ice storm," he explained, "your bike skidded – and headed off into Bayville lake."

            Remy winced, wondering if his bike was still alright, or if it remained at the bottom of the lake.

            "Rogue managed to get off in time whilst you – and the bike – headed into the water.  She saved your life.  I'd say you have a lot to be thankful for," Hank added.

            Remy coughed a little, "so I nearly drowned?" he was startled, he could not remember any of this at all.

            "I'd say so," Hank stated, "Please, rest for now…"

            Remy glanced towards the doorway, seeing Rogue standing there, a blanket wrapped around her, her hair in neither shape nor form, her face stained with makeup that had never been completely washed off, she looked pale and cold, and almost corpse like in the dull light of the hospital wing, an unearthly beauty.

            But seeing he was awake, she did not seem pleased at all, her face was full of contempt, and her eyes glazed as if she'd cried.  She pulled the blanket around her tighter, keeping her eyes on his, her own eyes, and expression speaking more volumes than he knew he could read, all he knew was that something he'd done had angered her, and he was going to be in trouble when she confronted him about it.

But she didn't confront him at all.  Didn't say anything, did not step closer, instead, Rogue disappeared from the doorway, leaving him there.

What have I done, he pondered, wracking his brain for the answer, and finding none, instead, trying to think only seemed to bring an exhaustion over him and weigh him down.

            Remy closed his eyes, feeling groggy and bleary, and let himself slip off into a light sleep.

            When Remy LeBeau woke, the dim lights in the hospital wing were still on, but Hank was nowhere in sight, Remy could sense it was late, everyone probably already in bed.  He pulled himself up, feeling the need to go to the bathroom, and also find something to soothe his sore throat.  The bathroom lights were on, and there was evidence Rogue had been in there, wiping off her makeup, cotton balls with smears of black and grey were in the little waste bin by the sink. 

            Remy glanced to the mirror full sized mirror that was right next to the shower stall, his normally tanned face seemed pale, and sunken, his eyes red and puffy, his hair flat and limp.  He was clad only in a pair of dark grey jogging pants, his feet bare, his chest bare, and he could see the still healing scar of a large stab wound from months previous, he touched it, remembering how he'd received it.

            After having dealt with relieving himself, and having splashed some water from the sink onto his face to try and wake himself up a little more, he left the bathroom, intent on heading to the kitchen.

            As he headed towards the kitchen, he could hear music on in the Rec room.  It wasn't loud enough to disturb everyone in the Mansion, but it was loud enough for him to hear that it was the band known as Godsmack, and that the music seemed angry – this meant only one thing.  Rogue was in the Rec room.

            He crept in there silently – despite the music would have disguised his footsteps.  The door of the room was way behind the comfortable couch in front of the TV, he could see Rogue's legs dangling off the end of the couch, and he slowly walked over, finding her laying across the couch, asleep, her head on the second seat.  Her eyes closed lightly.  

            Remy moved so silently she would have never heard him even when she was awake, he knelt in front of the couch looking at her.

            He didn't understand why she'd seemed so…angry with him earlier.  The events of the night he'd encountered began to become clear, and he remembered arguing with her about taking the bike instead of the van – he'd insisted on the bike.  Perhaps this was why she seemed so angry, that it could have been avoided somehow.

            Remy brushed her hair away from her face so cautiously, to not touch her skin, yet with the most loving care he felt he'd ever he'd shown towards any of the women he'd ever known in his life – and he'd known many.  

She was beautiful when she slept, without an trace of makeup, she was childlike, and for a moment, Remy wondered if she really was sixteen – or had lied.  Looking at her now, she'd never seemed more innocent and vulnerable in all the time he'd known her.  He'd never seen her this way.  It stirred something inside him he'd never felt, something that made him protective and caring towards her, yet, inside fear and heartache grew inside of him, and he hated that feeling.

Taking a flower petal from one of the fresh flowers in the centrepiece on the coffee table, he brushed it against her lips softly, keeping his eyes on her face.

            He wanted some sort of reaction, yet at the same time, he didn't.  He wanted to see her smile, but not awaken from her slumber.  But she didn't awake, nor did she smile, instead a strange frown appeared on her face, and she shifted her position slightly, moving onto her side.  Her arm hung down over the edge of the couch, she was still wearing the clothes from earlier, he noticed, and the gloves she always wore.  He gently took her hand, and held it in both of his, and kissed the fingers of her gloves.

            He wanted to kiss her so badly right then, the fact that she was asleep and she'd never know, but the fact was that he knew if he did, she'd absorb his powers, perhaps blow up the couch, perhaps even worst still, see things in his head that he did not want her to see – ever.

            The music still blasted on in the background, it blasted at him angry words, 'I fucking hate you, you're such a liar'.  He felt a chill run up his spine, knowing why the song brought such discomfort to him.  He quickly moved to the CD player, and switched it off.   Silence filled the room.

            He looked at her again, and his heart felt as if it were injured, his soul wounded.  He kept telling himself that it wasn't right for him to fall in love with Rogue, that it was wrong – so wrong, and for many more reasons than she would probably ever understand.

            Despite all the signals he'd given her previously, he wondered if it were too late to stop, to stop showing that he had an attraction towards her, that she interested him, and thrilled him.  He'd gone too far, he realised, it was too late to stop now, he'd gotten involved – she'd gotten involved, and together they would have to deal with it somehow.   He hadn't intended to go this far with her, flirting was in his nature, he'd always done it, it had never meant anything until now.  Even when he'd told girls he loved them – it had never been serious, not as serious as the feelings he was getting towards her.

            _It isn't fair to her_, he thought at himself bitterly, _she's still a child compared to me, three years between us might as well be thirty for the experience I've had with romance and sex, and these are both things she cannot even experience._

            He moved over and sat on an armchair, outside he could see it was beginning to grow lighter, and he could hear the birds in nearby trees.  He switched off the only light in the room – which had been right next to him on a small round mahogany table.  He sat there, and was silent, never moving, he kept his eyes on her, even in the darkness he could see her.

Remy watched as the sun rose and the orange and pink light spilled through the muslin drapes and onto her face, and he loved her.


	5. Chapter 5: The Truth

Chapter 5: The Truth

            Remy had almost been on the verge of drifting off to sleep himself at six thirty am when the sun was shining through the windows and Rogue was stirring from her slumber, her hair sticking out every which way, and her eyes puffy and tired.

            When she saw him, her expression immediately became one of disdain, and she sat up quickly, taking a deep breath.  "Remy…what are you doin' in here?" she demanded, her voice was icy

            "I couldn't sleep," he stated, he sat forward from the slouched position he'd been sitting in, and he ran his fingers through his hair and yawned a little, "you're mad at me I can tell," he began after yawning, he stood up quickly and stretched a little, "I know, you were right, I was wrong – we should have taken the van," he admitted defeat.

            Rogue pursed her lips together, and walked over to the window, looking outside, her arms folded stubbornly, her back facing him, "you think that's why I'm mad…" she said pensively, her shoulders were hunched up a little, and her head hung low.

            "It isn't?" Remy asked, his voice full of surprise.  But suddenly he felt a stab of concern forcing itself into his mind, if she was not mad at him for that, then what could she possibly be mad at him for, he had not done anything else wrong.  "What…have I done?" he asked carefully.

            "You know what you've done, LeBeau," she remarked.

            He knew she was annoyed with him right then, when she was in any decent mood with him, she would call him by his first name, but when she was annoyed, it was anything but, it could be anything from his surname to a number of unpleasant insults and nicknames she'd make up.  Cajun, Gumbo, and Hamfisted Prick came to mind.

            "I…honestly don't know…" Remy admitted, his voice now full of worry, he walked over to her and put his arms around her from behind, "tell me what I did and I'll make it up to you."

            Rogue elbowed him in the stomach, spun around and punched him in the jaw, it had been the second time since he'd lived in the Mansion that she'd done so.  The first time he knew he'd deserved it, and now, he wasn't so sure.

            He winced and moaned, "what was that for?!" he demanded in agony.

            "You know very well what that was for!" Rogue went to punch him again, he ducked and fled towards a safer area of the Rec room.

            "I don't understand!"

            "Last night I had to save your fucking life!  Only to find out you're an amoral, backstabbing, lying son of a bitch!" she screamed at him.

            "I am thankful…" he looked at her confusedly, "But I still don't know what you're talking about."

            "You drowned!" Rogue looked at him, "and when I pulled you out the water, you weren't breathing!" she was so angry she was shaking, he wanted to try and calm her down, but knew he shouldn't go near her, she didn't even know her own strength.

            Remy looked at her, beginning to realise that something had happened when he'd been unconscious, and he was about to find out exactly what that was.

            "I had to give you mouth to mouth…" Rogue felt tears stinging her eyes.

Remy suddenly realised why he'd been unconscious so long, was because she'd absorbed his powers, and his memories, and now he was beginning to realise, she'd seen something in his memories – something he'd never intended for her to know.

"You lied to me," Rogue's bottom lip was trembling, "you LIED to me."

"I did not lie to you…"

"What do you call it?!" Rogue demanded, "You just seemed to forget to MENTION that Carol Danvers and you were in love?!  And that you convinced her to join Magneto!!"

            For this had been exactly what she'd seen in his head, the night before when she'd had to give him mouth to mouth after yanking him out of the lake when he'd almost drowned.  And suddenly the dreams she'd had months ago about being kissed on a beach had been a memory of Carol Danvers ****authors note: see story three "Betrayal" chapter 1 for reference.**** and that Remy had been the dark handsome stranger, he'd been the one convincing her to join someone – it had been Magneto.  Everything else in his head, she could not quite figure out yet, but she'd put two and two together when she saw memories of Carol in her head when she'd touched Remy, when she'd seen his memories of making love to Carol, his memories of convincing Carol to join Magneto.

            "I never loved Carol…" Remy drew his breath, "I told her I did…I lied to her, but I never did…"

            It seemed too much like another of his lies.  Rogue snorted in contempt, "Like I'll believe you now," she wiped her tears with her gloves.

            "How much did you see in my memories?" Remy asked, "did you see everything, or just that I had sex with Carol – and convinced her."

            "I saw bits and pieces, none of it makes sense," Rogue hugged herself.

            "Fine, then let me elaborate," he grabbed her by the shoulder, perhaps roughly, and made her sit on the couch, he sat on the chair, and kept his eyes on her. 

            Rogue looked at him, waiting for the explanation, "I don't know if I want to hear another one of your bullshit stories.  I suppose the whole thing about being betrothed was a pack of shit to throw me off your scent," Rogue muttered, she still felt tears coming.

            "No, I did not lie," Remy stated.  "A few things I falsified, but I'll explain," he stated.  "Everything I told you about being betrothed was completely true…and it IS the reason I left New Orleans, I did not want to be married, especially not to Bella Donna, I knew once I was her family would probably kill me any way, make it out like some accident, they hate me, always have.  It was when I was trying to get out of New Orleans that I ran into Magneto – tried to steal something from his house, and got caught…"

            Rogue kept her eyes away from his as he told his story.

            "He was ready to kill me at first, until I told him why I was stealing, I needed money to escape New Orleans – and he took me under his wing, said he'd get me out, and help me…turns out I was fooled…" Remy got up restlessly and walked over to the window, he pulled the drapes aside a little and looked out, "working for him was hell, you did as you were told, you never asked questions, and there were very little benefits…you had no life of your own," he stated.  

            "When are you going to get to the part where I'm involved in all this – because I know I am," Rogue growled.

            "Patience," he muttered, "Anyway, months go by, it was about maybe a month before I broke into the Mansion with Carol…" Remy began again, "Magneto hands me a plane ticket to San Francisco, gave me instructions to find Carol Danvers, this beautiful blonde girl, just about to graduate high school…a mutant," Remy wandered around the room aimlessly as he continued, "I went, and found her, and had her under surveillance for a week or so, I found out almost everything there was to know about her, what school she went to, where she lived, where she had a part time job – in a coffee house – and where she went with friends.  And I made it my job of being everywhere she was, and always hiding in the shadows, or where I wouldn't be seen – she never caught on…"

            Rogue wiped more tears.

            "Then Magneto tells me to charm her, make her think I loved her…" Remy stated, "so I approached her, and started seeing her everywhere she was – made it impossible for her to ignore me, used every trick in the book to get her to believe I loved her," he explained.  "Seduced her, that sealed the deal, the fact that I'd made love to her made her think I loved her, and when I told her I did, she believed it, believed every single word…"

            "You bastard…"

            "I know…I agree," Remy coldly remarked, "anyway, I managed to seduce her two weeks, got her believing I loved her, Magneto knew she'd only join him if she had good enough reason…"

            "And reason being that you loved her and she loved you," Rogue remarked bitterly.

            "Yes, so I convinced her, and she fell for it…"

            "I had dreams of that night when she finally agreed, I saw it in her head in bits and pieces, and then in dreams that were unclear," Rogue felt more tears trickle, "I saw how much she loved you, you fooled her…"

            "I…kept the ribbon as a reminder for what a fool I was…" Remy looked at Rogue, "I gave it to you in an envelope, folded up inside my own marriage license – two reminders of mistakes I made," he stated.

            "Is your story finished?" Rogue looked at him.

            "Do you want it to be?" Remy asked, "Or do you want to know what happened that night…" he asked, he looked at her pointedly, she knew the night he meant, the night when he'd broken into the mansion.

            "I need to know the truth," Rogue stated.

            "I can only elaborate so much…" Remy stated.  "After Carol joined Magneto tells me and her that we had to come here and get you, take you by force, but not harm you at all," Remy stated, "Only you caught us out…" he explained, "and when you attacked Carol – and absorbed her powers, I hated you for it, at that moment, even if I didn't love Carol, I wanted to revenge her so much, but for some reason, before I had the chance – when you and Carol were falling from the sky, I was hit from behind, and found myself with Magneto – at a warehouse were he would operate…"

            Rogue looked at him, "why me?"

            "I'm not entirely sure," Remy looked at her, Rogue could see this was one thing he wasn't lying about, there was a strange look of fear in his eyes, "there were things Magneto would not tell any of us, we were just told what to do and would not ask questions, if we did, we paid…" he looked at her with desperate eyes.  "You were a key element in some plan, all I know is he wanted you on his side for some reason, you're a powerful mutant, chere, you can absorb anyone into you and use their powers, that's a powerful gift.  This is the only reason I could figure out he wanted you…"

            Rogue looked at him, "but you didn't know this at the time…"

            "I did not," Remy stated, "I knew he wanted you with us, and I was to bring you to him, that's all I knew…but then the night I appeared here, bleeding and in need of help, that was the night I found out the truth…that Carol was a sacrifice," he looked at her, "he intended for you to absorb her powers, knowing you'd realise it was the only way you could stop her from taking you…and he knew that you wore silver – he can do anything with any metal, that man, and when he knew you wore rings…"

            "He was there that night?!" Rogue demanded, she stood.

            "Yes, I didn't know it at the time," Remy stated, "that night, I was intent on killing you, I was so angry that you wouldn't let her go, that you'd want to kill her…and I was blinded with this rage I didn't even understand…and when he stopped me, I went insane…I screamed at him, and demanded why I should not kill you…and that was when he told me that you had not tried to kill Carol – that Carol had been a mere sacrifice…"

            "What happened then?" Rogue shuddered.

            "When I found out, I tried to leave…and he let me…but he told me that if I was leaving, I'd bare the scar to remind me that I was involved with Carol's sacrifice whether I wanted to admit it or not – even if it was an accident on my part that I did not realise this at the time…"

            "He stabbed you?" Rogue looked at him.

            "A shard of metal flew at me from somewhere – this is the only lie I made up, that I was stabbed by Bella Donna's bother, it was Magneto."

            Rogue looked at him, she could not believe this, he'd known all along, and she could not believe it.  "I need to think," she left the room quietly, leaving Remy LeBeau standing alone, with his regrets.


	6. Chapter 6: Heart

**Chapter 6: Heart**

            Rogue stood for some time in the Library, it had been the first room she'd headed to in need of solitude on the early Saturday morning, she tried to get her head around everything.   Carol had been a sacrifice, she'd been meant to absorb the powers and mind of Carol, and that this was all in some larger plot for something even Remy didn't know of.  The fact Remy had kept all this from her brought an anger and sadness from within her she could barely cope with.

            She felt foolish, and betrayed, once again.  And begun to even hate the fact that Carol's mind had every right to try and take over her own mind.  Carol had known no better – no one had.

            She could forgive Carol for trying to take over her mind months previously.

            But Remy?  Remy she was not sure she could forgive.  She'd begin to believe she was falling in love with the man, and that he'd never hurt her – if this had been true he surely would not have kept this information from her knowing it was a big part of the reason she was the way she was now.  

            "Chere?"

            Rogue tensed up, hearing Remy enter the room, she kept her back turned, she was sitting looking out of the nearby window.  "Go away…I can't look at you right now…"

            Remy sat at the very end of the long table, and did not wait for her to turn to him, "then don't look," he sighed.  "I know you're mad at me…"

            "I don't know who I'm mad at anymore," Rogue kept her eyes to the trees outside, stirring in a fierce wind, she felt immense depression looming over her, and wanted to cry more, she didn't want to cry anymore in front of Remy though, she felt as vulnerable as it was.

            "Then…if you're not mad…what do you feel?" Remy asked quietly, his voice sounded unnaturally anxious and unhappy, and he was aware of it, he felt pathetic and ashamed, and more disturbed by the fact Rogue now knew what he'd been hiding from her all this time.  

            He hated himself for having let himself feel for her when he knew he might lose her trust if she found out the truth – and now she had.

            "Sad…betrayed…foolish," Rogue sighed, she bit her lip, trying to force back tears, "and hurt…that you didn't tell me all this stuff sooner…when you knew how important it was that I know…"

            "I could not find the right moment to tell you, no moment seemed appropriate for what I needed to say…"

            Rogue felt tears trickling, but with her back to him he needn't know, she kept her voice loud and strong, "I gave you ample opportunity to tell me," she pointed out, "I asked you every day, you could have told me then…"

            "There are reasons I couldn't tell you," his voice growing more emotional.

            "Why?!" she spun around to him, he'd suddenly angered her again, "so that you could pretend like you were in love with me too and have me in love with you and then tell me what you needed to so that it would fuck my mind up even more than it already is?!" she screamed, tears pouring now.

            "That is not true," Remy felt his own eyes water, he did not allow himself to cry though, "I knew if you knew that it would ruin any chance I had of bein' wit' you, and every day I wrestled with it, I wanted to tell you so bad – but I knew if I did this was exactly how it was gonna be!" he looked at her.  "You're bitter, and you never let grudges go, Chere, and I knew if I told you that you'd never forgive me…"

            Rogue turned away again.

            "If I'd been honest from the start you still would have acted the way you did despite it all, you would have hated me, and considered me the enemy, I was never the enemy, I was only doin' what I was told to do!" he cried at her.   "It's not easy livin' with the fact that I was involved in Carol's death!"

            "She's not dead," Rogue remarked coldly, "her body is brain dead but she's alive in me…and it's because of your foolishness and never questioning anything…did it never occur to you to ask Magneto – just once – why should I pretend I'm in love with Carol, or why should we take Rogue!?"

            "Yes, it did, and I tried, but I was answered with punishment!  Every time one of us tried to question anything we ended up in some nightmarish hell in our minds – he would make Mesmero  fuck with our heads – so that our nightmares seemed real…and I wasn't about to go through that again!" Remy yelled at her.  

            "Well y'know what?  I live in a nightmarish hell every day, Remy!" Rogue looked at him, "I have to wonder sometimes if the things I'm THINKING are the thoughts of Carol or not, or if the things I like are things SHE likes or even mighta liked or if her life has any influence in MY life!" she ran out of breath.

            Remy looked at her, "it hurts me that this happened to you, Rogue, I always cared 'bout you…" 

            Rogue sucked in a breath, more tears about to come.

            "I think I'm in love with you…" Remy knew it wasn't an appropriate time to say it, and it would seem like a convenient lie to fool her, but it was the truth and he wanted her to know it despite what she might think.

            Rogue looked at him, her eyes already brimming with more tears, "how can you expect me to believe that?" she stood up, "You told Carol the same thing…" she burst into tears, "How do I know this isn't another lie, or that Magneto didn't tell you that you had to make out you were in love with me so I would join him next?!" she demanded.  "How can I believe anything you say now?!  You're a liar!"

            Remy looked at her, he reached out his hand, "touch me and see it in my mind if you don't believe me…" his hand was shaking with emotion.  

            Rogue moved away, "no!" she swatted his hand away with her gloved hand, her breathing heavy and fast and louder than ever, "I don't want to ever touch you again, I don't ever even want to be near you again!" Rogue looked at him.

            Remy looked down, so that his hair fell over his eyes to hide his tears, "don't do this to me…"

            "How can I not?!  Look what you've done to me!" Rogue looked at him, "You told me stuff to make me believe I knew you – but I didn't.  I didn't realise how manipulative and selfish you are…you put Carol's life at stake, and you put mines," Rogue looked at him, "and you put my heart at stake…you were willing to let me fall for you knowing the things you know were gonna hurt me…" she wiped her tears on the back of her gloved hand, "and now…I never even want to see you again…"

            "You don't mean that…" Remy sniffed, he wiped his face quickly, hoping she'd not see he'd been crying, she didn't even seem to notice.  

            "Yes, I do…" Rogue sobbed, "I mean it, Remy…I want you to leave…" she kept her eyes away from him, "I can't ever look at you again…just go…"

            Remy stood up and walked over to her, "Rogue…Chere…my Marie, do not do this to me, please…" he begged of her, "I do not want to leave, I can't bear not being here – not being near you…you make me feel like I haven't felt before."

            "How can I believe that?!" she demanded, refusing to look at him.

            "Touch me and see it in my mind, you know you can!  I don't even care if you absorb my powers and leave me in a coma…but I want you to know the feelin's I have for you are real…"

            Rogue looked at him, knowing it wanted to be the last time she ever did, "No…Remy, enough is enough…I want you to leave this mansion – The X-Men…I don't want to see you again.  Go to New Orleans…get Married to Bella Donna Bordereaux, and don't ever come back…" Rogue headed for the door.

            Remy watched her, "is this what you want?" He asked.

            Rogue stopped at the door, her back turned to him, "Yes…that's what I want…I want you out of my life."

            "Then I'll go…" Remy sighed, "and won't return…" he looked at her, "but I want one thing, before I go," he murmured.

            Rogue kept her back turned, "what…?" she asked, her voice full of disdain and loathing.

            "Your kiss."

            "Remy, no…" Rogue shook her head, and turned towards him, hating the fact she'd had to look at him again, and be reminded of all that had gone on in the last few hours, and the last few months. 

            "I'm not goin' until I kiss you," Remy smirked, but there was a tear trickling down his face and emotion twisting his face.  

            Rogue felt more tears come, and stood there, he moved over, and looked at her, he reached up, his hand bear, and tilted her chin up with his bare fingers, already feeling the draining effects of her powers on him, he quickly moved in, and brushed his lips so softly against hers, she felt his stubble, and his flesh, and felt his memories and feelings overwhelming her.

            He moved back, swaying slightly from the loss of energy and power, he trembled, and reached for the door handle, he looked at her once more, knowing it might be the last time he ever saw her beautiful childlike face.  "Au revoir," he murmured softly, and then, he left the room silently.

            It was then, Rogue collapsed inundated with her tears and loneliness, and a broken heart, not only from her own emotions – but from Remy LeBeau's, having let him go, knowing he really did love her, and now…was gone.

THE END (or is it?)


End file.
